How to build up a translation career from scratch

You’ve decided you want to work as a translator. Congratulations! But where do you go from here? If you’re wondering how to become a professional translator or how to get translation experience, you’re in the right place. Below we’ll cover everything you need to know about the nature of translation work, from how to start getting projects from firms that render  translation services to landing those big clients as a freelancer. Read on to learn how to launch your translation career and then take it to impressive new heights.

There is no single route into becoming a professional translator, though a language degree can certainly help you get a foot in the door. Obviously, you will need to be fluent in two languages.

Mike Yarwood, shipping & warehouse lead, Moovit

There are several ways that you can approach starting out in translation. One is to contact translation agencies, as many will be willing to give new translators a chance. You can register online for multiple agencies and use jobs sourced through them to build up your initial experience. The work may not be too highly paid at first, but as you build up a good reputation and become a trusted, reliable source of high-quality translations, there’s plenty of scope for that to change.

Hijacking was the most common method used in North and South America at 37% and 52% respectively whereas in Asia, theft from a facility was the most common at 43% compared with just 19% from hijacking. Insider threat has been identified by this report as a common vulnerability across the globe.. As organisations evolve and are becoming more and more secure in terms of cybersecurity, access controls etc, the recruitment of insiders becomes a more attractive option for those attempting to gain access.

6 Comments

  1. Cargo theft has been around for centuries. History has seen robbers attacking merchants on trading roads, to pirates seizing ships at sea, to bandits on horseback robbing stage coaches.

    1. Fast forward to today. Trucks have replaced horse-drawn wagons, and today’s cargo theft perpetrators are often part of international crime syndicates. The global economic crisis increased demand for black-market goods. But cargo theft statistics are difficult to track.

  2. Adding to the cargo theft problem is the fact that it is seen as a low-risk, high-reward type of crime carrying minor criminal penalties. The FBI reports that less than 20 percent of stolen cargo is ever recovered.

    1. Some good news is that, according to Sensitech’s SensiGuard Supply Chain Intelligence Cargo Theft Annual Report, overall reported cargo thefts during the first quarter of 2018 declined 22 percent, with a 15 percent drop in dollar value versus the same period in 2017.

  3. Hunt Merchent says:

    Friday afternoons, when companies are most pressured to get freight off the dock, may present the highest risk of falling victim to this strategy. The thieves hope the stress of getting the freight moving may lead to less scrutiny of credentials at pickup.

    1. The value of stolen cargo from a retailer, either from the warehouse or in transit to a store, drops directly to the shrink line. A major component of loss prevention’s success is low shrink. Learn all you can about cargo theft and how to prevent it.

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